Chapter 37 of The Little Minister is here in full — 163 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXVII
Chapter 37 of The Little Minister is here in full — 163 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
RINTOUL AND BABBIE--BREAKDOWN OF THE DEFENCE OF THE MANSE. "You dare to look me in the face!" They were Rintoul's words. Yet Babbie had only ventured to look up because he was so long in speaking. His voice was low but harsh, like a wheel on which the brake is pressed sharply.
Chapter 37 of The Little Minister is here in full — 163 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/32 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.
a restraint used to slow or stop a vehicle
From this reading “His voice was low but harsh, like a wheel on which the brake is pressed sharply.”
the act of disrupting an established order so it fails to continue
From this reading “RINTOUL AND BABBIE--BREAKDOWN OF THE DEFENCE OF THE MANSE.”
(psychiatry) an unconscious process that tries to reduce the anxiety associated with instinctive desires
From this reading “RINTOUL AND BABBIE--BREAKDOWN OF THE DEFENCE OF THE MANSE.”
unpleasantly stern
From this reading “His voice was low but harsh, like a wheel on which the brake is pressed sharply.”
compacted by ironing
From this reading “His voice was low but harsh, like a wheel on which the brake is pressed sharply.”
in an aggressive manner
From this reading “His voice was low but harsh, like a wheel on which the brake is pressed sharply.”
past form of “venture” — proceed somewhere despite the risk of possible dangers
From this reading “Yet Babbie had only ventured to look up because he was so long in speaking.”
change directions as if revolving on a pivot
From this reading “His voice was low but harsh, like a wheel on which the brake is pressed sharply.”
Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.
Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading His voice was low but harsh, like a wheel on which the brake is pressed sharply.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading RINTOUL AND BABBIE--BREAKDOWN OF THE DEFENCE OF THE MANSE.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading RINTOUL AND BABBIE--BREAKDOWN OF THE DEFENCE OF THE MANSE.
for the reason that
From this reading Yet Babbie had only ventured to look up because he was so long in speaking.
a restraint used to slow or stop a vehicle
From this reading His voice was low but harsh, like a wheel on which the brake is pressed sharply.
the act of disrupting an established order so it fails to continue
From this reading RINTOUL AND BABBIE--BREAKDOWN OF THE DEFENCE OF THE MANSE.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading His voice was low but harsh, like a wheel on which the brake is pressed sharply.
take upon oneself; act presumptuously, without permission
From this reading "You dare to look me in the face!"
(psychiatry) an unconscious process that tries to reduce the anxiety associated with instinctive desires
From this reading RINTOUL AND BABBIE--BREAKDOWN OF THE DEFENCE OF THE MANSE.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading "You dare to look me in the face!"
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Yet Babbie had only ventured to look up because he was so long in speaking.
unpleasantly stern
From this reading His voice was low but harsh, like a wheel on which the brake is pressed sharply.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Yet Babbie had only ventured to look up because he was so long in speaking.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His voice was low but harsh, like a wheel on which the brake is pressed sharply.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "You dare to look me in the face!"
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading His voice was low but harsh, like a wheel on which the brake is pressed sharply.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading His voice was low but harsh, like a wheel on which the brake is pressed sharply.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading Yet Babbie had only ventured to look up because he was so long in speaking.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading "You dare to look me in the face!"
less than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading His voice was low but harsh, like a wheel on which the brake is pressed sharply.
a large and imposing house
From this reading RINTOUL AND BABBIE--BREAKDOWN OF THE DEFENCE OF THE MANSE.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "You dare to look me in the face!"
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading RINTOUL AND BABBIE--BREAKDOWN OF THE DEFENCE OF THE MANSE.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading His voice was low but harsh, like a wheel on which the brake is pressed sharply.
and nothing more
From this reading Yet Babbie had only ventured to look up because he was so long in speaking.
compacted by ironing
From this reading His voice was low but harsh, like a wheel on which the brake is pressed sharply.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading RINTOUL AND BABBIE--BREAKDOWN OF THE DEFENCE OF THE MANSE.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They were Rintoul's words.
in an aggressive manner
From this reading His voice was low but harsh, like a wheel on which the brake is pressed sharply.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Yet Babbie had only ventured to look up because he was so long in speaking.
the utterance of intelligible speech
From this reading Yet Babbie had only ventured to look up because he was so long in speaking.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading RINTOUL AND BABBIE--BREAKDOWN OF THE DEFENCE OF THE MANSE.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They were Rintoul's words.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "You dare to look me in the face!"
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Yet Babbie had only ventured to look up because he was so long in speaking.
past form of “venture” — proceed somewhere despite the risk of possible dangers
From this reading Yet Babbie had only ventured to look up because he was so long in speaking.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading His voice was low but harsh, like a wheel on which the brake is pressed sharply.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Yet Babbie had only ventured to look up because he was so long in speaking.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading They were Rintoul's words.
change directions as if revolving on a pivot
From this reading His voice was low but harsh, like a wheel on which the brake is pressed sharply.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading His voice was low but harsh, like a wheel on which the brake is pressed sharply.
the words that are spoken
From this reading They were Rintoul's words.
but in spite of that
From this reading Yet Babbie had only ventured to look up because he was so long in speaking.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You dare to look me in the face!"
Chapter 37 of The Little Minister by J. M. (James Matthew) Barrie holds 163 sentences, grouped into 33 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.
Chapter 37 holds 163 sentences of The Little Minister, unabridged, divided into 33 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 37 of The Little Minister by J. M. (James Matthew) Barrie exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 163 sentences, grouped into 33 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.
Work through the 33 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 33 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 37 can be played aloud in United States English.
Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.
Common questions about reading The Little Minister by J. M. (James Matthew) Barrie on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7030 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #5093 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #5093, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 585 minutes of reading across 1406 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Little Minister section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of The Little Minister to begin.
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in The Little Minister, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
